An Argentinian tourist recorded herself panicking when two polite robot clerks tried to check her into Tokyo’s Henn na (“strange”) Hotel. The white-uniformed androids bowed, blinked, and asked for her passport, while she begged them not to “look” at her. Her TikTok clip has been viewed more than 845,000 times and echoes other complaints about the 20-plus-location chain, famous for dinosaur and hologram staff.
The promises of advancement and savings still seem to be elusive, though. Managers once bragged that 240 robots would slash costs, but guests say the machines freeze, mishear requests, and create extra work. More than half of the robo-employees have since been mothballed and human workers rehired. Online commenters call the scene a real-life “Black Mirror,” and the shaken traveler says she will stick to hotels with living receptionists.
Source: NY Post
